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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Associated Press reported this week on the latest mishegas -- a "Bark Mitzvah" for a Pomeranian dog named Nicky. The ceremony was performed by Lee Day, whose web site lists her as a celebrity pet hair stylist and pet entertainer, in Stanhope, New Jersey, where the pooch turned two years old, or thirteen in dog years.

There was champagne, cake, and a yarmulke for the guest of honor. The reporter covering the event asked "But with all the wacky chutzpah involved in a Bark Mitzvah, It's hard not to ask: Is there a line being crossed?"

The latest development in dubious “religious” trends: the rise of bar mitzvahs for dogs.

While not exactly mainstream, the ceremonies, known as “bark mitzvahs,” are apparently now a rite of passage for some Jewish dog owners and their pets, part of what the Associated Press describes as a “booming multimillion-dollar industry.”

The AP yesterday released footage of a ceremony honoring a New Jersey canine named Nicky, who celebrated reaching age 13 - in dog years - by donning a kippah for a ceremony attended by his owner and friends. “I really believe that the animals have a right to have a party and a religion,” said Lee Day, a talis-wearing woman described by the news service as a “bark mitzvah performer.”

Predictably, not everyone is thrilled with the trend. “It’s really part of a sacred tradition,” said Rabbi Daniel Satlow, referring to the human version of the ceremony. “To imagine that a dog could do anything like this is degrading.”

“This is nothing less than a desecration of a cherished Jewish tradition and degrades some of the central principles of Jewish life. I urge readers to reject such practices,” wrote Rabbi Charles A. Kroloff. “I enjoy a good time as much as the next person. But not at the expense of religious traditions that need strengthening, not desecrating.”

This isn't the first Bark Mitzvah. In October 2007, the Schneider family celebrated the Bark Mitzvah of Bumpy Schneider, their "first bred son." The party was complete, with specially printed kippot, Hava Nagila and limbo dancing with disco lighting, a photo sign-in board, and a fire hydrant centerpiece.

That same year, a group of Jewish doctors including Dr. Ruth Westheimer celebrated the Bark Mitzvah of a dog named Elvis, an event that included the dog reading the "Arf Torah."

If you think we're kidding, here's the video of the event published by the Associated Press, followed by the 2007 videos of the Bark Mitzvahs of Bumpy Edward Schneider and Elvis.

Enjoy (?)

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Al Kustanowitz, Jewish Humor Central's Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, has collected Jewish humor even before there was an internet. For the last 25 years he has been editor and publisher of The Kustanowitz Kronikle.
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